The Will of Fire-Utterly Laughable

He felt that the Root leader knew nothing but rage. As Hokage, however, he had far more to consider.

Kumogakure's move had plunged Konoha into a dilemma.

At this point, Konoha had only two options.

The first was to gather its forces and fight Kumogakure to the death.

The second was to sacrifice Hyuga Hiashi and appease Kumogakure.

Renewing the war would cost many, many lives.

Although Konoha had been severely weakened over the years and was far less powerful than before, it still had deep reserves. It had a good chance of defeating Kumogakure, but it would inevitably suffer heavy losses.

What's more, if the other shinobi villages attacked together, Konoha would certainly be unable to withstand them.

Most importantly, Kumogakure had given Konoha another choice.

Hand over Hyuga Hiashi's body.

That choice had put the Hokage and the great clans alike in a bind.

People were selfish by nature, always looking to avoid harm and seek gain.

As long as their own interests were not at stake, the village's shinobi clans would not cut off a piece of themselves to fight for the Hyuga clan.

The conference room fell silent. Only after everyone had breathed in their fill of secondhand smoke, and Shimura Danzō's expression had grown increasingly dark, did Hiruzen Sarutobi finally speak.

"The village needs time to recover. We can't afford another war."

The moment he finished speaking, the people in the conference room wore a variety of expressions.

Shimura Danzō gave a cold snort, barely stopping short of writing the word "displeased" across his face.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu could only sigh helplessly.

Shikaku Nara remained expressionless from beginning to end.

He knew Hiruzen Sarutobi too well.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had spent his whole life playing it safe. At times, he even seemed weak and incompetent.

Shikaku Nara had expected this decision.

He glanced helplessly at Hyuga Hiashi, whose face was as pale as paper, his eyes carrying a trace of pity.

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "Of course, the Hyuga clan is a partner of the village. The village will never allow a comrade to be sacrificed... For now, we'll set this matter aside. The village will negotiate with Kumogakure later, and we'll make sure to argue our case."

After the Third Hokage finished speaking,

the entire conference room sank into a deathly silence.

Hearing this, a flash of anger crossed Hyuga Hiashi's pale face.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's words seemed to defend the Hyuga clan, but in truth, he had already made his choice.

He intended to sell him out and quell Kumogakure's anger.

Everyone had already agreed that Kumogakure valued strength above all else and was not a village that could be reasoned with.

Expecting negotiations to resolve the problem was unrealistic.

By saying this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was simply trying to smooth things over and keep his own hands clean.

He was the Hokage.

If he actively prepared for war and fought Kumogakure to the death, the village would inevitably suffer heavy losses.

Hiruzen Sarutobi would be unable to escape the blame. He might even have to resign again.

Nor could Hiruzen Sarutobi openly force the Hyuga clan to hand over "Hyuga Hiashi's" body to Kumogakure, because that would tarnish the Hokage's honor.

"The Will of Fire? Utterly laughable!!!"

With a CRASH, Hyuga Hiashi overturned the table and rose to his feet. His face cold, he left the conference room without looking back.

Neither Mitokado Homura nor Utatane Koharu—not even Shimura Danzō—criticized Hyuga Hiashi for his rude behavior.

In truth, Shimura Danzō had already guessed before the meeting that Hiruzen Sarutobi would tacitly agree to sacrifice Hyuga Hiashi. But when those words actually came from Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth, he still felt profound disappointment and sorrow.

Konoha was the strongest shinobi village. It had been before, and it still was.

Yet now, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, was tacitly agreeing to sacrifice a comrade in exchange for peace.

In his eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi had grown old and lost his edge. He was no longer the Hiruzen Sarutobi of the past.

As the meeting broke up, Shimura Danzō looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said in disappointment, "Hiruzen, our teacher sacrificed himself to protect his comrades. If he were here, he would never make this choice."

Hiruzen Sarutobi held his pipe in his mouth and slowly closed his eyes.

In his view, Danzō had been blinded by momentary anger and humiliation. He couldn't see the bigger picture at all.

"Danzō, you're right about many things. Our teacher would rather sacrifice himself than let us come to harm. He would never betray a comrade. But I have no choice but to do this, because I don't have our teacher's skill. Do you understand?"

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this."

"Danzō, don't do anything reckless. I'm the Hokage!"

BANG!

"..."

Soon, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the only one left in the conference room.

He turned and looked at the second statue on Kage Rock, murmuring to himself.

"You don't know how hard it is until you've been through it!"

"Teacher, I've walked on thin ice my whole life. Do you think I can ever reach your heights?!"

WHOOSH!

A silver-haired shinobi suddenly appeared in the conference room.

"Lord Hokage, why?"

Kakashi was an Anbu directly under Hiruzen Sarutobi and was deeply trusted by him.

When he called this meeting, Hiruzen Sarutobi had deliberately stationed Kakashi in the shadows to listen in.

Kakashi had asked himself if years of carrying out dirty missions in Anbu had made him used to darkness. But he had never imagined that Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage who spoke of the Will of Fire every day, would give in to Kumogakure's unreasonable demands.

"Kakashi, come. Sit here."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took the pipe from the corner of his mouth, led Kakashi over, and pressed him into the chair where he had been sitting earlier.

Kakashi stiffened all over, somewhat overwhelmed by the honor.

This was a chair only the Hokage could sit in.

Hiruzen Sarutobi added some tobacco and spoke slowly.

"You're the Hokage now. You need to think like one."

"Kakashi, let me ask you: if you insist on going to war with Kumogakure, then when the war is over, the village's old people come to you for their sons, the women come to you for their husbands, and the children come to you for their fathers—how will you answer them?"

"..."

Kakashi froze, unsure how to respond.

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "If sacrificing one person could save thousands of shinobi, would you refuse, as Hokage?"

Kakashi closed his eyes, forcing the words out of his throat one by one.

"If I were the one being sacrificed, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment."

As Kakashi said this, he was filled with righteous resolve.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also believed that Kakashi had the will and resolve to sacrifice himself for peace.

"But if it were a teacher I loved, or a comrade dear to me, I would never allow it."

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin, who had died in the Third Shinobi World War, as well as Minato and his wife, who had passed away.

Their deaths, one after another, had plunged Kakashi into endless darkness, and he still hadn't emerged from it.

"If it were someone else, I... couldn't find a reason to refuse."

"That's right, Kakashi. You need to understand that this is already the better choice."

Kakashi fell silent for a long time, then slowly nodded.

He seemed completely drained, listless and dispirited.

The next moment, he suddenly thought of something and asked, "Lord Hokage, what about the Will of Fire?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened. He turned away, his back to Kakashi.

"Kakashi, you're exhausted. I'll give you a month off. Get some rest."

Kakashi furrowed his brows.

He had avoided the question.

Clearly, either the Will of Fire or the sacrifice of Hyuga Hiashi was wrong.

What could he do?

Nothing at all!

It was just like the way his father had been driven to his death by those people back then.

So what role had Lord Hokage played in his father's death?

Kakashi felt a chill as he followed that thought to its conclusion. He shook his head wearily. "Lord Hokage, I'd like to look after that child, Naruto, for a while."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent for a moment, then nodded. "All right, go ahead. But remember, Naruto is first and foremost the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He's Minato's son second."

"I understand."